Then other side of the photo

This is the famous photo of General Nguyễn Ngọc Loan executing Captain Nguyễn Văn Lém of the Viet Cong.

Like many, I always assumed it was a terrible war crime. but I’ve found out the case is more nuanced.

Lém was in civilian clothes, despite being an armed solider. This arguably makes him a spy, for which there is a long history of summary executions.

Also Lém was accused of murdering South Vietnamese Lieutenant Colonel Nguyễn Tuân, his wife, six children, and 80-year-old mother. Only the first was a legitimate target.

Now don’t get me wrong. I still think he shouldn’t have been summarily executed. He should at least have been given a quick military trial. But it does make you understand better why he was executed – because he was not in uniform, and had slaughtered a family.